Method and apparatus for compacting and dewatering cementitious materials



Jan. 29,. 1935. G. M. GORDON METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPACTING AND DEWATERING CEMENTITIOUS lMATERIALS Filed May 24, 1952 6fm/A MM Gama/v.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

tioned patent.

Patented Jan. 29, 1935 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMPACT- ING AND DEWATERING CEMEN'EITIDUS MATERIALS Graham MGordon, Los Angeles, Calif.,

to Viber Company, Limited, Los Angele a corporation.

assignor s, Calif.,

Application May 24, 19.32, Serial No. 613,223

12 Claims. (Cl. 25-1) My invention relates to a method and apparaof the vibratory ltering member before the contus for simultaneously compacting and dewatercrete has set. ing Portland cement concrete or other hydraulic cementitious materials.

In the compacting of plastic masses, particularly Portland cement concrete by vibration, it has in elevation; been observed that water is attracted to the point of Fig. of vibration. When internal vibration is used, as Fig. 3 forexample in the method disclosed in Pelton, U. S. Patent No. 1,747,555 of February 18, 1930, with the use of an inserted and removable vibrator, free water is attracted to or collects at the point or near the point of maximum-vibration. `tive positions tical cross secti the motor unit In the accompanying drawing Fig. l is a veron of one form of my apparatus, casing and handles being shown Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section 1 taken substantially on the line 2 2. is a fragmentary vertical cross-section showing another arrangement of the suction vibrator tube, but omitting the electric motor. Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-section of Fig. 3 taken substantially on the line 4--4 to show the relaof the openings in the shell and It is now well established in the art of making the filtering medium.` Fig. 5 illustrates in fragand using Portland cement that the strength of mentary cross-section another form of the lthe set and hardened concrete is greatly increased tering vibrator if the water in the mixture at the time of setting is kept at a minimum. Concrete mixes containing a large proportion of coarse aggregate and fOr the tube which is unit, comprising a fabric bag clamped over the insertion end of the vibrator provided with openings or holes removal of'water after being sucked sand in comparison to the amount of Portland through the lteling bag. Fig. 6 ShOWS in fragcement tend to be low in plasticity or workability mentari! @FOSS-Section another Construction 0f and in order to economically and satisfactorily my filtering vibrator comprising an end piece place these harsh mixtures in forms and molds, made' 0f S01d lteling mediumit is now the practice to use an excess of water,

Referring more particularly'to the drawing, the

that is, more water than is necessary to bring' electric motor 10 encasedinahousing 11 and conabout the chemical reactions causing setting and neted electrically through hardening, with a consequent lowering of the Switches by the strength of the nished concrete structure.

lIt has further been established that concrete cuplng 14 t0 may be compacted to greater density, with im- The Vbratr iS proved strength, uniformity other desirable physical properties by vibration, and particularly internal vibration as described in the above men- This invention resides in the provision of a method-and simple apparatus for vibrating the plastic mass of concrete and simultaneously removing the free water which collects or migrates to the point of vibration.

lower two of weight 21 held suitable control terminals 12, rotates its shaft 13 which is flexibly attached through the iiexible the shaft 15 of4 the vibrator 16. enclosed in a tubular housing 17,

which is attached to the motor housing 1l by the plate 18 and bolts 19. The elongated shaft 15 is supported by ball bearings 20 between the which is mounted an eccentric to the shaft by the pins 22. At

the lower end of the tubular vibrator the filtering medium' 23 is supported by an extension 25 of the tubular housing 17 and the end piece 24.

It is therefore a chief object of my invention Means for removal of the liquid which is fdtered to provide a method of placing cementitious materials in molds or forms by simultaneously compacting by internal vibration and removing of the excess free water at thepoint of vibration.A motor shafting through the lfiltering medium 23 in Fig. ll comprises the hollow shaft 15 connected through the flexible coupling 14d so designed that it permits the transmission of the liquid through the hollow 13 to the outlet nozzle 26a, to

A further object is to provide a simple mechawhich is attached a flexible suction hose 27, which nism by which compaction and dewatering of `is connected to concrete masses may be simultaneously effected. liquid is prevented bythe packings 28. is ltered through the sucked lthrough the hollow shaft 15' and thrown Briefly the invention consists in a method and apparatus for forming concrete bodies comprising pouring the mixed ingredients, including wasuction means not shown. The from getting into the bearings In Fig. 3, the liquid which filtering medium 23 is ter into a form, inserting a vibratory member out of the openings 29 in the shaft into the chamequipped with; suction filtering means whereby ber 30 formed between packings 28a and 28h, from the free water which collects at the point of viwhich chamber `bration is continuously removed, and the removal the nozzle 26,

it is removed by suction through and the flexible suction hose 27 which is attached to suction means not shown.

The filtering medium 23 may be outside the supporting tubular extension 25 having holes 31 to permit the entrance of the filtered liquid and subsequent removal by the suction means as shown in Fig. 1,-Fig. 2 and Fig. 5; or-the filtering medium 23 may be inside the supporting tubular extension 25 as shown in Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 6. In Fig. 5 the filtering medium is indicated as a fabric bag 23a fastened to the lower end of the vibrator tube by the clamping arrangement 32. In Fig. 6 the filtering medium is a rigid porous medium, such as a porous ceramic body 23h, which itself constitutes the end of the vibrator tube and is held to the extension tube 25 by the pins 33.

I'he method of operation is as follows: the tubular ltering vibrator mechanism is inserted within the cementitious mass such as wet concrete in place in forms or in mass. The `vibrator unit is set in operation either before, during or after insertion and suction is simultaneously applied to the suction nozzle. The vibration of the concrete causes the excess water to migrate to the region of m um vibration, which is around the inserted end f filtering tube, where it is pulled through the ltering medium by the suction applied to the interior of the tube. 'I'he filtering medium prevents the removal of the fine sand and cement, and allows the removal of only f water. 'I'he vibrator ltering unit is then withdrawn and the concrete or cementitious mixture, when set, is much stronger because the excess water has been removed and simultaneously the particles have been vibrated to their positions of maximum density. Vibration alone produces increased density, but unless the excess water made free by the vibration and settling is removed, the strength of the set cementitious mass is impaired. Filtration, without vibration is not effective in reducing the water content, because the excess water is not free water until the vibration has settled the particles to positions of maximum density, or unless the amount of excess water in the mixture is much greater than is used in usual practice. I'he effect of vibration is to reduce the,

interstitial space within which the excess water is held, by settling th`eparticles to positions of dense packing, and simultaneously releasing the water. This free water is removed through the ltering means, leavingthe ne sand in the cementitious mixture.

I claim:

1. In the art of compacting cementitious materials containing water, the steps of simultaneously vibrating only a portion of the mass and sucking on' the excess water.

2. In the art'bf compacting materials containing water, the steps of simultaneously vibrating only a portion of the mass and filtering oiI the excess water at the point of vibration.

3. An apparatus for compacting and dewater^ ing cementitious materials comprising a vibratory member flexibly connected by a hollow shaft to 'rotating means therefor, and acasin'g for said vibratory member and shaft 'having perforations in the portion adapted to be immersed inthe and cement I cementitious materials, with means for applying suction to said hollow shaft;

4. An apparatus for compacting and dewatering cementitious masses comprising insertable means for vibrating the mass, a casing for said vibrating means pervious'to water in its insertable portion, and means for removing the water fromthe interior of said casing.

5. An apparatus for compacting and dewatering cementitious masses comprising insertable ymeans for vibrating the mass, a casing for said vibratory means, a filtering medium operatively attached to the insertable portion of said casing, and means for removing water from the interior of said casing.

6. An apparatus for treating cementitious masses comprising a motor having a hollow shaft, an out-of-balance rotaryl mechanism having a hollow shaft, a casing for said rotary mechanism having yperforations in the portion adapted to be immersed in the cementitious masses, and suction meansoperatively connected to said hollow shafts for removing water -in said casing.

7. An apparatus for treating cementitious masses comprising a motor having a hollow shaft, an out-of-balance rotary mechanism having a hollow shaft, .a casing for said rotary mechanism having perforations in the portion adapted to be immersed in the cementitious masses, a filtering medium supported by said casing inoperative position relative to said casing perforations, and

suction means operatively connected with said hollow shafts for removing water in said casing.

8. An apparatus for treating cementitious masses comprising a rotary means, a perforated hollow shaft, an eccentric weight attached to said shaft, a casing forsaid shaft and eccentric weight having perforations in the portion adapted to bev immersed in the cementitious masses, and means for removing water from said casing.

9. An apparatus for -treating cementitious masses comprising a rotary means, a perforated hollow shaft, aneccentric weight attached to said shaft, a casing for said weight and shaft having perforations in the portion adapted to be immersed in the cementitious masses; a filtering medium in operative position relative to said casing perforations operatively connected to said casing, and means for removing water from said casing.

10. The method of compacting unset cementitious mixtures containing water comprising placing a mass of the mixture in a designated space,

ing a mass of the mixture in a designated space,

vibrating only a portion of said mass, and simultaneously filtering off the excess free water from the vibrated portion.

" GRAHAM M. GORDON.

. vibrating only a portion of said mass, and simultaneously removing the excess free water from 

